Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at New India Youth Conclave 2019 in Surat, Gujarat
I thank you with all my heart for the enthusiasm and your ‘will’ with which you blessed me. Please forgive me for the delay in my arrival. This is my fourth program in Surat today, and after this, I have to go to Delhi for some work. I hope you aren’t exhausted with all my four programs here, because I am not tired. I was told that there are more people waiting outside than the ones who are inside this hall. I apologize to all of them for the inconvenience. But I am confident that if I come here again, I’ll be able to meet them in some bigger mass gathering .
The country's youth is the future of the country. I too feel energetic when I’m around these youth, filled with enthusiasm, elation and passion. Now-a-days it’s a trend in youth saying ‘how is the josh?’
Friends, the country is going through a change rapidly. With the hope and expectation that you had on me, you entrusted me with this responsibility in 2014. People of Gujarat knew me and my work, but I was new to the rest of the country, but they trusted me because you told the country what is my trustworthiness.
You must have heard of a few projects are underway and a few projects finished, and that 9 million toilets were constructed and so on. India has become news of the world. And the reason is, not Modi. The reason is, each one of your vote. Now you know the strength of your vote. Each vote of yours, runs me for five years. It is your vote that motivates me to do something for you, and makes me work for you, day and night.
Surat is a land of merchants and businessmen. You would feel that you had invested in 2014. You will find that your investment is returned with compound interest. Try recalling those days of 2014, when the country was feeling hopeless. People were discussing about leaving the country, going outside, settling somewhere else. People were worried, what will happen to the country? All of that despair had turned into hope, and the faith has instilled confidence in all the hundred crores of countrymen. This self-confidence, these dreams have the power to lead India ahead. Some people keep on weeping. Neither do I have I any interest in crying, or making someone cry. I am only interested in leading the country forward. The country is moving forward, and everyone is having new dreams. Sometimes people ask me, that I did a lot of work, worked in every field but you have given so much hope to people, raised so many expectations that you will not be able to meet them.
I said that creating hope instead of despair is good is bad? It is good to have new aspirations. I said that we should be proud that we got a government formed in the country which awakened all the dreams of the hundred crores of countrymen. Such a government is working in the country that, seeing the work, one feels that, if there is so much Modi can do, he will do this too. This is our biggest contribution to the hope of growth in the state of despair, and that will take the country forward. Can one imagine that an idea like sanitation, was owned by our countrymen, and took its own course? Otherwise, what was the state of our country? Two things were very common back then. Two things had become a part of the daily life and had derailed the country. What were the two words? Whatever be the work, whatever the task was, the first question to come out was, “What’s in it for me?”
Was it not like that? Was it not? Let’s say, there’s nothing in it for him, so he’ll say, brother, nothing can be done for you. Second thing was, “why should I do it?” We got rid of both these sentences.
And its result is “Sabka saath, Sabka vikas”. So friends, it feels good that Surat created an interactive programme of this sort. I will get a chance to talk a few things with the youth of this country. I was told that there were a few questions the youngsters would like to ask. So, if you are ready, I’ll conclude my speech here and will start accepting questions.
Question: Hello Mr. Prime Minister, I am a computer engineer. Sir? Our country had this psyche that this country would go nowhere in terms of development, but I am also seeing change in it, so my question is, how was this change possible?
Prime Minister: Thank you! First of all I thank you, and my greetings to you, that you felt the change. In this country, in the last ten years before my arrival, i.e., from the year 2004 to 2014, when the Government of India used to run on remote control, everybody was sure, that nothing was going to change for good. They used to think, what was destined will happen’. The country’s mentality was conditioned that nothing could change. The first thing that we have done is to change those mindsets, so that everything can change. You must have seen the newspapers' headlines of that time.
Headlines about scams used to come every day. In the past four and half years, have the reports changed or not? Otherwise at that time, there was ‘coal scam’, ‘2G scam’, the list goes on. I’ll give a small example, remember 26/11 happened? Do you remember 26/11? The terrorists attacked Mumbai. Later, what happened? Bouquets were given, candles were bought, and condolences were given. And Uri happened during our government. What happened after Uri? What happened? Isn’t it a big change? Uri didn't let us sleep. Every single drop of the blood of a soldier is sacred to us. And the fire within that soldier is the one burning in the heart of this Prime Minister too. Thus we came up with a result - a “surgical” strike. Change comes in this exact way. Could anyone have imagined that a war can be waged against black money in this manner? Everyone thought that politicians would come, say things, and nothing gets done. This is such a leader, he would not set himself into corruption, nor let anyone get into it.
After the demonetization, three Lakh companies were shut. Imagine, even if one company gets shut, effigies burning, etc., would happen, but no word from those three lakh companies because, each one of those were related to some financial crime. If a decision is taken with a good intention, and for the good of the country, and not for personal greed, good results will come. One can imagine, it used to be a routine in the morning, the news of TV saying, terrorists have killed these many. I agree that soldiers, right now, are also being martyred, but, they are dying while fighting, and not while sleeping. There was a time when, there was a bomb blast in Mumbai, sometimes a train explosion, sometimes a bomb blast in Delhi, sometimes a bomb blast in Ayodhya, sometimes a bomb blast in Jammu. It has been four and a half years, without such a thing. Isn’t this a change? The youth of the country today, even with the lack of money, are not prone to despair. Under the government’s Mudra scheme, one can go to a bank and without guarantee you are entitled to take a loan and you can start your business. A scheme like this is unheard of before. In this country, rape was also there earlier. This evil of society is such that, even today we get to hear about those incidents. The forehead bowed down in shame, it hurts. But today, the accused were hanged in three, seven days, in 11 days, in a month. One step after another is being taken, continuously to bring justice to those daughters. More results are visible but it is unfortunate that the incident of rape runs on TV for seven days, but the news of the death penalty comes and goes.
The more the news of the hanging will spread, the more the man sitting with this disgusting idea of rape, will be scared too, and will think fifty times. I mean, the country is changing its mentality. The reason is that 1.25 billion countrymen have decided that we have to change now.
It is the nature of us people, if we are going in a bus, or a train, going in the plane, and the seat to your side is empty, we put our bag there, put the bag, telephone, book, etc. Let’s say the person who reserved the seat came while the train is running, to sit on the seat, the seat was not ours, we were sitting on our seat, we had to pick up the telephone, pick up the book, had to pick up the glasses, had to lift the mobile, and you get irritated, though that seat is not yours. In the very same country where we experience this, the Prime Minister of the country once told at the Red Fort that if your financial situation is alright then, let go of your gas subsidy. 125 crore people of my country have given up their subsidy. Thus public’s mind was changed, and I believe that will change the fate of our country. When booking railway tickets, senior citizens get subsidy. I told the railway people, to include an option in the form write that I want to surrender subsidy, I do not need subsidy. I never even spoke on this, neither appealed, nor did anything. You will be astonished to know that, about 40-45 lakh senior citizens said they did not want subsidy and wanted to pay full price of the ticket. The mindset of the populace has changed, that is the guarantee of the bright future of my country. This hope, this faith, this confidence, these dreams and the policies of the government suited to those dreams, the manner of the government, and the pace of the government gives the government a new strength.
Earlier, there was a belief that the government will do everything. We came and changed that belief. We created the belief that country is greater than its government. 125 crore countrymen can change our country. Government is just nominal. We have decided, let’s trust our countrymen on this, they will take the country forward. We went forward with this belief. It’s not Modi alone. It is 125 crore Modis who are changing the country. Thank you for your question.
Question: Honorable Prime Minister, the architect of new India. I am proud to be a citizen of India. I feel that by coming from a normal family, you are challenging the corrupt forces. Due to this challenge, a grand alliance is forming out of fear. In 2019, crores of countrymen are waiting for a Congress-free India. What do you want to say about this?
Prime Minister: You are right that I come from a normal family and I think I could do it, because I belong to a normal family.
Had I come from a wealthy/influential family, I would have come with big bags and I would be afraid of what will happen if people get to know about my secrets. My life has been like an open book. I have worked amongst you for 13-14 years. Even opponents never raised a finger. That was the power that gave me courage. What will happen? Whatever has to happen will happen? Secondly, I believe with conviction that, this corruption came in like a termite at the root of all our country's problems. The whole system is destroyed. Shouldn’t we start somewhere? I too could have said that- it has spread so much, who can oust it? Or let’s leave the task. Many governments have come, at least we will not do it. Having said that, I also could have left that. But I felt that we should start somewhere, and I started from the top. So once the top is cleared, the bottom will automatically be clear. So you saw the four generations. The country trembled as soon as they heard their names. Such was their strength, that the country was jailed for eighteen months. Nobody would have thought that a tea-seller would be challenging a family whose four generations ruled India. And you know that. You know that, they are out on bail. Nobody would have thought that all his fellow courtiers would also be running around the court of law. I believe that there are blessings of 125 crore countrymen, they can run around as much as they want, but they will have to go one day.
Those who have looted the country will have to be return it. You tell me, in the earlier times, didn’t some people run away from the country by cheating, and stealing money from our country. They did, and their numbers were in hundreds, but what happened after that? Government was like, ‘What to do? He ran away!’ But, we made laws that if one runs away, then we’ll seize his assets, will seize him anywhere in the world. So now the runaway ones are also trying to find a way to escape. The fight is ought to be fought like this. If one wants to secure the bright future of one hundred and fifty crores of my countrymen and the youth of the country, then these decisions also happen automatically. As far as the election is concerned, what do you think? See, the public is a form of God. No one taught them to say this. People are voicing their opinions on their own. What is going to happen? There’s another challenge before us as a team. It won’t do even if the Congress loses as a candidate, or as a party. Congress-free-India also means that we have to remove the wrong things Congress has done in the last 70 years to the political life of this country, to its social life, family life, etc., we have to liberate our country from it. Nepotism, casteism, corruption, egotism have penetrated our country like diseases. They will have to be removed and that's why we follow the mantra “Sabka saath, Sabka Vikas” .
Question: Hello sir. I am from the legal field. I have been following politics for the past several years. I have seen that the people who wanted to see you lose in 2014 are the same people today, through media, are spreading negativity in the country and passing the wrong messages at such a time when our country is preparing itself to be a world leader.
Prime Minister: You speak Gujarati, don't worry... I understand your question. In a way, I get what you want to say.
Question: Sir we would like the chaos that is happening in our country to stop. We want a full-fledged development of our country and in this development, and in the bright future of our country, civilians like us are engaged we are trying our best. So, what message would you like to give, to citizens like us? Vande Matram!
Prime Minister: I am grateful to you, and thanks for your concern. It is true that during the Lok Sabha elections of 2013-14, if you look at the news of that time, a group used to exist. This group was constantly saying that if BJP claims Modi to be its candidate, the party would come to an end.
I do not know what they used to say, now that the BJP has declared my candidacy, they started saying, ‘Who knows Modi?’ Only Gujarati people knows him. Then they started saying, ‘BJP had these many percent votes, they are going to increase by this much, then they will get these many seats, BJP won’t get a majority. So they told that a hung parliament would be formed. They had said all this, didn't they? Now at that time they worked so hard to let us down, but the public did not embrace it. They embraced Modi. Now tell me, those who worked so hard in 2013-14, so that Modi's name shouldn't exist, how angry they must have been. They must have felt insulted. Will they not try to degrade Modi under any circumstance? Will they not do it for their ego? The reason for this negativity is the same but we should not worry about such negativity. What is the best check against negativity? It is Positivity. We say the truth, if they speak once, then we speak a hundred times. They speak at one place, we’ll speak at ten places. If he speaks in front of one, then we’ll speak in front of fifty. Say, if all of you get involved in this work, then those who spread negativity were also doing it in 2013-14, they will also do it now, it doesn’t matter. Well, that was a group that does not even like my face, or name. There are other people whom I have fought against, all by myself. Now tell me, those three lakh companies who were shut, will they say ‘Modi zindabad’? Will they not say that, Modi is a useless man? Now, we have a free price shop, where poor people take their ration from. Government buys the ration for 30-35 rupees, and sells it to the poor for 3 rupees, 2 rupees, so that the poor of our country do not have to starve. But there were such people, who used to steal from even the poor. 6 crore ration cards were fake. They used to buy wheat of 30rs for 3rs, then sell the same at 30, and profit 27 rupees per kg used to go into his pocket. 6 crore people who were ghosts, I closed those accounts. Those who had subsidy started getting it directly to their bank accounts. This led to the eviction of middlemen. 90 thousand crore rupees were stopped from getting drained per year. Modi stopped money from reaching middlemen’s pockets. Would he like Modi or what? Will he not have wrong feelings for me?
Now you tell me whether I should do this work for the country or not? Should I worry about myself or my country? Should I be worried about what will happen to me? or What will happen to me in 2019? Should I be afraid like this? Should I work in the interest of the country with courage or not? And so I did my work. I am glad that I have worked in the interest of the country. Try to spread positive news from your side, through ‘Namo app’. How many people have got the app on their phones? Those who don’t have it yet should download the app. Will you? All the information inside it is the right information. The government’s information is updated every minute on the app. If you like something in it, forward that to your relatives, your families, and you’ll see the atmosphere will automatically become positive.
Question: Respected Prime Minister. You have been a great source of inspiration for youth like us. You have done many such things, because of which the coming generations will thank you. Whether it is demonetization or GST, people are now able to understand its value. Being a CA, I would like to say that it has a lot of benefits. My only question to you is, how can you do all this without the fear of vote bank? Jai Hind.
Prime Minister: The simple answer is the blessings of 125 crore countrymen are with me. See, India has reached such a stage in social life today, that it should not be lost, can one imagine that when our government is formed, we were ranked tenth in terms of economy. We were tenth in the world. Today we are at number six. From tenth position to sixth in four years and I assure you that day is not far away when news comes that India has now reached number five. We have left prosperous countries behind. Today we can be proud that the world's highest statue is ours. It makes every Indian proud. The longest rail and road bridge in India was launched during our government. Who wouldn't be proud? Compared to when we came into power in 2014, when 38 percent sanitation was there in the country, toilets, etc. Government constructed toilets have increased from 38 percent to 98 percent today. When we came, half of the people of the country did not have a bank account. Today, almost everyone in the country has a bank account. And there is an international report that says, ‘half of the bank accounts opened in the whole world, are opened under Modi's rule’. It is because the society did not send me to sleep here or to have fun. The Prime Minister has not been elected to enjoy the post. I will work like a laborer, I will work for 24 hours. I will not lag behind in doing what I can do for my country.
Question: Hello Prime Minister, my name is Shikha, I am an artist, and I have a question. You have made so many plans for the development of India by working so hard. How do you see the future of India as a result of plans and from your perspective?
Prime Minister: I see the future of India is very bright. I see that it will be great. You tell me, today that the name of Hindustan is ringing all over the world. Isn’t India’s name resonant in America? Isn’t Australia, Canada, and U.K, are all praising India? Today, India is praised around the world. I understand in such a short time, we gave India what it deserves. It was our right, but no one tried. We did not do anything new. We just tried to get what India should get by its own right. We got it today. Can one imagine that when we celebrate International Yoga Day, almost all the countries of the world would sit down holding their noses? Isn’t it a matter of pride? Countries of Israel and Palestine fight, but both Israel and Palestine are our friends, is it not a matter of pride for our country? There might be tension between Iran and Saudi but both of them are friends with us. Is it not it a matter of pride for our nation? Today India has carved a name for itself. Similarly, we have advanced so much in the economic field and are advancing in every field. A country which is young, that has 800 million youth, meaning it has 65 per cent of the population under 35 years of age, it has youth as its Power. The enthusiasm of youth, the energy of youth, and given the dreams of its youth, how can it stay behind? It needs to be given the right opportunity. Automatically results will come. And that's why I see that in the core of India's bright future lies its Youth power, India's growing middle class, India's service sector contributing to the world, our self-reliance on agriculture. We are world’s number one milk producers. There are many such achievements. We have reached rank 77 from rank 142 in ease of doing business. Take any parameter, today India is the world's fastest running large economy.
India has surpassed China in terms of Foreign Direct Investment. It is a matter of great pride for India. On the basis of all this, I can say that my country’s future is bright. The strength of 800 million youth under 35, and the children of this millennium who are born in the 21st century, they came in with new dreams with new strength, and these are the people who will push my India forward. My best wishes to them.
Question: Hello Mr. Prime Minister, I am RJ Vishruti, I do the morning show in Red FM. I want to say very proudly that for the first time this country has got a leader who has a great following among the youth and that is you. And that brings to me to my question, that every morning in the show, we talk to many such youngsters, and students who say that, with these political discussions and debates that happen on TV, they feel very confused. So, there are many first time voters, who do not understand in which direction should they go and to put in simple words, “who to vote?” For all those first time voters, what would you like to tell them?
Prime Minister: It is true that in our country, our democracy is very strong. Our democracy is very vibrant but the mentality of our country's political parties is still very old. So, there should be constant debate on the issues of development, hope of the common man, in terms of expectations. Rail, roads, electricity, water, road all these things to be discussed but unfortunately, for the people sitting in our opposition, it’s difficult to debate on these issues. Because if they talk about happened in agriculture, then the figures will show that Modi has done better than before. In terms of employment, he did better. In terms of new schemes, it will show me better. So there is a lot of trouble for them. So, unfortunately the responsible teams of our country are not ready to discuss on these issues. They have only one issue, one issue, it is an issue that is known. Modi is their one issue. As soon as they wake up in the morning, they start with Modi. Even at night, they do not know whether to sleep or not. The issue for them is Modi, for us the issue is the dreams of 125 crore countrymen. For us, the issue is hopes, and expectations of our 125 crore countrymen and to make our farmers strong. We work so that villages too get the facilities of a city. For us the dream of 800 million youth is the issue at hand and it is our mission to bring such schemes to give wings to their opportunities to fulfil their concerns. It is not a concern for the opposition. So, for the youth of this country, it is very natural to have confusion. But today that is not the case. There is some change. Earlier, you had to take whatever some television or newspaper served you. Now you have access to the entire world through your mobile phone. You can verify, inquire whether someone is telling the truth easily. You must have known that when you take three newspapers together and see, a news item will be on the first page of the newspaper, the same news item may be on the second page or on the third page in the other.
It will be somewhere in a corner in another newspaper. So a question should arise in your mind that why some news was so important to them, but useless to the other? Then you will know the nature of each newspaper. It’s easy to say. Same is the case with TV channels. Your TV channels, if you take a look at three or four of them at once, then you will notice that the same news is told in different ways. So you can differentiate easily. I believe that this is a new generation of youngsters in our country who are first time voters, who are tech savvy and information savvy. He is a student of the Google guru, he will ask Google to tell whether Modi is saying the truth. They can do this in a matter of five minutes. I want the younger generation of the country to make a habit of analyzing the news closely. Know and note who gives the information right, and then choose. They have to choose the person who is against nepotism, casteism, communalism, corruption, the feeling of high and low, etc. This should be the path of our new generation. Our first time voters might not know about the past times when the older government declared emergency, and made our country a prison. Our first time voters, do not know that earlier there was no electricity during the meals time, till the time when I became the chief minister of Gujarat in 2001. What was the first thing people asked of me? That, ‘Sir, at least in the evening give electricity while eating’, those were the days of Gujarat but, today we are getting 24 hours of electricity. But at that time, our first time voters of today would have been three years old, so he does not know that his parents had to live in the dark. So this new generation will have to know, how the country was looted for 70 years, how it was destroyed, and for the first time in five years, an attempt is being made to save it from the ruin. Even now, I do not say that I have done everything. I have never made such a claim. But I did it in the right direction. I have done things to correct the mistakes made by the government, and not to save my skin. I have done it whole-heartedly, and have done it by putting myself on stake. I also assure you that neither Iam going to stop nor I am tired. I do not bow my head in front of lies. I’m going to bow my head only before 125 crore Indians. And if I have any remote control, then 125 crore countrymen are my remote controls. I will remain dedicated to them and to their dreams. I have decided to work for them.
Hope your blessings remain with me. I loved this programme. And I thank the MPs. They have made a wonderful contribution, and I thank the people of my party here. I am glad that I got a chance to meet such promising people and I saw that women were also more forward in asking questions. So I also congratulate this women empowerment.
Thank you very much friends. I’m very glad. I once again apologize to thousands of young people standing outside, and I conclude my speech.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
Vande Mataram ....
Vande Mataram ....!!